what’s happening in my house these days

Christmas Eve gingerbread house construction at Sherri and Rik’s house

There’s something about all those small bowls filled with twisted red vines, ruby red hots, sparkling sugar gumdrops… it’s a story, a fairy tale. We had such a beautiful Christmas Eve, warm and bright, with amazing friends.

Holiday boats

Every December, we make sure we take a night drive to look at the holiday lights. It’s particularly fun when you live near water.

Marshmallows

Don’t believe me?

Yup, homemade! Right until about a month ago, I never even imagined that you could just up and make marshmallows. Here’s a confession – I don’t even like marshmallows all that much. The taste, that is. I’m nuts about their shape and powdery softness – they’re gorgeous. But the only way I can eat them is perfectly toasted and squashed between graham crackers and chocolate. (You could probably make just about anything taste good with that method.) These were really fun to make, though, and the kids ate them for me so that was a win-win.

Santa Bags

It wouldn’t be a proper Christmas without one crazy 11th hour project on my part. This year, it was making bags to leave out for Santa (we’re all about saving Santa some time on a busy night). So there I was, two nights before Christmas, whipping up random bags out of old shirts, pajamas, dresses, you name it. The good news? They’re super fast to make, they work, and Christmas morning cleanup is a snap!

2 comments for now

2 Responses to “Random Holiday Notes”

Wow, you’re really making good on that resolution — I’m days behind here on the blog, but I *love* the idea of those santa bags. It’s pure parental genius of the order that makes me wish I hadn’t forgotten to have children, so that I could steal it and use it myself. Even though it was 11th hour this year, it will save “Santa” some time in the long run. And so much better to have something you use every year than something you throw out, something that can become familiar and loved.

Hi Ellen! I’m glad you liked these – did you recognize the bags down the right hand side? That’s your old sundress! I loved these bags and I can’t wait to make more. It makes the whole wrapping process so much easier and fun! You can still steal the idea, though – it looks like Sam could use an easier wrapping method!